Analyzing Avril 14th on April 15th

[@iximusic]

Thank you for watching my breakdown of Avril 14th! For song & album requests and to support my channel and musical projects, please consider joining my Patreon (I can't monetize my videos): www.patreon.com/iximusic 🙌 You can also commission me to analyze your original music or do a piano cover. 🎹 And I teach private & group lessons, do film/video game scoring, and music transcriptions 🎶 TIPS: www.buymeacoffee.com/iximusic 💄

[@BR0K3NARCH3TYP3]

This is my all time favorite song. There's no lyrics, but the chords and melodies evoke such a powerful sense of positive nostalgia. The song sounds like your brain simultaneously remembering the good memories of the past and experiencing the present in such a way that you already feel it becoming a memory. It just makes me appreciate life in a way no other song really does

[@martinocruzcruz4483]

boy do you need to expand

[@BR0K3NARCH3TYP3]

@@martinocruzcruz4483 stretch me out, daddy 😂😂😂

[@kskahill1]

Totally feel you. I’ve always said I want this to be played at my funeral because of how beautiful, serene, somewhat longingly nostalgic, etc it is. Calming and beautiful, tinged with sadness but also light and hopeful at the same time. Love love love it.

[@martinocruzcruz4483]

its not my fault this is youre favorite song, im sure aphex himself is confused as to why this one is so loved, i personally think most likely it bothers him, there are far better tracks on the album.

[@martinocruzcruz4483]

also its just incredibly simple writing try listening to uchidas revision of debussy, there is real piano writing, not just my opinion, I'm feeding you facts here. its not that its bad music, its that your ears dont know whats good, thats what saddens me. why cant you not be so average very annoying gen of young humans 1 in 10 isnt a delinquent there happy?

[@lluna267]

My favorite piece of music ever written, it's just so hauntingly beautiful. I started playing piano just to play this

[@IIIsesgadoIII]

I’m in love

[@IIIsesgadoIII]

This song touches my soul

[@dubdelay]

I started learning guitar to play Aphex songs, so I know how you feel!

[@mj-ls7qr8xp3n]

Yes, I sold.mine because it was never played, sure wish I had it just to.play this!! -)

[@TheDyingPlant]

Same!!

I've always loved Richard D James' sense of harmony and how dissonant and beautiful his melodies sounded. I'm pretty sure its all the same reasons why NIN would always stick in my ears. I'd love to see more Aphex Twin analysis!

[@mech_mush]

Aphex Twin did a NIN remix on Further down the spiral that's worth checking out

[@pinealism]

I first came across Aphex around 2am with "Window Licker" some 22 years ago or so and I'm so happy I went down the rabbit hole. He is truly an anomalous musician that really should be considered a genuine artist

[@sueside]

Strangely for me this song evokes one specific emotion: Parting ways with someone you love and you can‘t do anything about it. This own sadness paired with the other persons lack of the same care happily enjoying life is the feeling I have by listening to this song since I heard it over 15 years ago for the first time.

[@hellothere3163]

You took exactly my experience and put it into words. Amazing the power of this music

[@im4everskilled]

The song sounds like fighting an unwinnable battle and eventually coming to terms with your own defeat

[@potowogreedo]

To me it's similar, but the other person feels just the same. Sometimes life just moves you apart.

[@talamusz7300]

How interesting that the song Blame Game from Kanye West samples this song and is about what you guys are also feeling :))

[@henrysumner4994]

I had the exact same experience with this song. Last summer, my ex girlfriend broke up with me days after she returned from a year-long very long distance stint. I spent hours walking around in the heat, listening to this song on repeat and weeping.

[@leeartlee915]

This is why I feel in love with electronic musicians. Aphex Twin, Lemon Jelly, Zero 7, Boards of Canada, and so on. It is the one area of contemporary music that both pushes the medium forward while having a firm foot in the past.

[@indus3270]

Add Squarepusher to the list!

[@leeartlee915]

@@indus3270 I could literally make a list that goes on for pages there are so many good producers ;-)

[@gabrielk2295]

@@leeartlee915 go on I'm taking notes to learn more musicians names

[@kir1111ca]

​@@gabrielk2295 Check out Erased Tapes' origins

[@HaZiqGD]

​@@leeartlee915Yeah, I'd love to listen to any of them!

[@uphillracer]

That’s one of my favourite piano pieces of all time. And generally Richard James is the Mozart of electronic music to me

[@nutster9000]

If Richard is the Mozart, who is Jarre?

[@bobthepoppop]

I'm so glad KZbin accidentally did its job by showing me something new in my feed (for once). So happy to have found this channel today. Love this song and I'd love to hear your thoughts on Nanou 2, another Aphex Twin track from the same album. It's pretty straight forward, but I've always found the beauty of that song to come from its simplicity. I'm gonna binge the rest of your videos now that I've found you and also found you're a fan of NIN. At minimum, give that track a listen. It's amazing.

[@brendon2255]

go react to kanye!!!! haha jk first time seeing a youtuber i watch in someones comments. youtube algorithm both brought us here

[@xbenci]

yoooo it's Bob!

[@adriancastro3232]

Hey Bob, I love your content, you said you like aphex Twin during the JPEGMAFIA reaction, nice to see you here

[@djsandy303]

crazy how these combinations of tones create such a strong emotional narrative.

[@mjhobo5520]

This entire analysis is like visiting an ancient alien world and watching an expert in music enthusiastically decrypt the secrets of a lost civilisation. Wonderful

[@mready2995]

Amazing comparison damn :DD

[@qrtaxqc]

Hahaha nice one

[@samjimenez8713]

Incredible analysis. Opening further understanding of music that normally I would never begin to comprehend. Especially with a song as amazing as this. Thank you

[@WeMuckAround]

Absolutely agreed. I love music, but have no technical understanding of it, so I need videos like this to break things down and give me a greater comprehension of the noises I like

[@x-tasi]

thank you for introducing me to this song, was having a rough week and i just put it on repeat. everything feels so much nicer with it running in the background

[@popoguy7287]

aphex has so many beautiful pieces, rhubarb is one my favorites.

[@timburdsey]

Hope this are going better for you this week. Keep your chin up. You’ve got this! All the best.

[@kaydgaming]

You’re going down a deeeeeep rabbit hole. Aphex Twin is goated

[@iximusic]

So I'm going down a goat hole, is what you're saying

[@ultrak0w]

One of my favorites. All of Aphex Twin is magisterial..

[@NotIfICU1st_]

Dreams come true! Thank you. I only ever figured out half this song before

[@dharmapada]

Always loved the beauty of of this song….but really seeing what’s involved just makes me realize how intentional it was to write such a piece. Really makes me appreciate it even more.

[@ChoseSimba]

I had this song played at my wedding and now I feel more for this song than I did then, 5 years later. Thanks for breaking it down I can't help but shed a tear for the emotion it conveys

[@glenn2277]

i got this album on tape when it first came out... it didnt get recieved any good reviews, but i didnt care. Richard D James is a genius... crazy... but still a freaky genius. im so happy all these kids are finally discovering his work.

[@bcitral]

That shiver is the essence of aphex twin

[@caleykelly]

I'll watch this one later. Can't wait to see your take on this!

[@nannue]

Really lovely analysis on RDJ. I love this song and yes, I subbed!

[@devttyUSB0]

Thanks for this dissection. I really enjoyed this. As the song can bring me to tears, this dissection did too. It's so beautiful.

[@theinfofficial]

great lesson. THANKS!

[@Whether-Man]

Always loved this song. So beautiful and dreamy. Very thorough analysis. I enjoyed watching you fall in love with the chords

[@darrenbrown7037]

I loved watching you break this down. What a beautiful song. The part that you expressed as romantic I always thought was very haunting, opening a door into a dark place and peering in. Thanks for this video!

[@righteouswhippingstick]

I was actually covered in goose bumps as you was saying it gave you a little chill. I love how you love music.

[@brazni]

Glad I randomly ended up on this video. The analysis is reminds me a lot of the process I went through as I was learning it, same kind of aha-moments and some new ones. Articulating some things I could not. especially during the later figures of the piece.

[@sukitrebek]

WTF!! I have been fantasizing about you analyzing Aphex Twin since I first discovered your NIN analyses! Please do more!!!!

[@alpacapico]

A very candid and accurate analysis, thanks for this :D

[@mj-ls7qr8xp3n]

This is truly wild watching you go thru this!! Omg!! Bravo.

[@pippy6677]

Thank you for sharing your insights. Always appreciate your work.

[@kurtdewittphoto]

Damn. Been an Aphex Twin fan for 25 years and I never knew that about the midi/acoustic piano setup he used.

[@mattpowell4939]

Welcome to the world of Richard D. James, there's no going back now. Thanks for the breakdown, I'm a self taught musician trying to get deeper into theory - this was informative!

[@Bennymoth]

These videos are so valuable about how you explain the nature of a song. Tytyty 🙏

[@gigachad192]

I would love to see you analyse some tracks from this mindblowing masterpiece of an album (Drukqs). Ultra-fast, glitchy jungle tracks (specifically Vordhosbn and Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount) have some absolutely gorgeous melodies and soundscapes buried underneath the noise of chaotic, yet very meticulous drums. Would love to see your analysis of those two songs. There is even a piano transcription of Vordhosbn available on youtube, which sounds absolutely beautiful.

[@iximusic]

I like jungle and glitch. I've really only heard his ambient stuff!

[@michaelwerkov3438]

man... vordhosbn... back when that came out...

[@syachipeanut]

@@michaelwerkov3438 that song honestly still sounds fresh

[@edwarddawson42]

And aphex uploaded vord without the drums so you can hear it raw.

[@tomdwij]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4rTqGhjmtGjj6M

[@andrewleyden2752]

This was the song that inspired me to learn the piano when I first heard it. You obviously far surpass my music skill, so thank you for making this video. I worked out quite quickly that even if I had the sheet music it was impossible to play this on two hands with a piano. Very cool piece.

[@DylanDrendel]

In the process of learning this and stumbled on your video - thanks for this analysis and breakdown, very intuitive and helpful insights!

[@jtvj8423]

Yay! So many of his minimalist piano pieces are exquisite, and he also has 'prepared piano' pieces in the vain of John Cage.. check out Kesson Daslef, Jynweythek, Hy A Scullyas Lyf A Dhagrow, Nanou 2 and Aisatsana. The last one being a piece made for play-it piano. Richard likes his sequencing

[@iximusic]

cool, thanks friend!

[@domokato]

Thanks for putting into words the exact feelings this piece gave me at each moment, and with a more detailed analysis than you usually get with other KZbinrs! I would also add that in the melody of the pre-chorus and bridge, I noticed he uses the pentatonic scale, which gives it a dreamy and less tonal feel

[@iximusic]

Ah so true about the pentatonic scale, nice observation!

[@justinw2232]

Love Aphex Twin. What a delight! ❤️

[@Demention94]

Your love for music gets me excited all over again about this song..

[@bryananderson8241]

Thank you so much for doing this, I really appreciate it!

[@Ca11mero]

Wow this is fantastic! One of my favorite songs of all time.. listened to it hundreds of times over the years.

[@paulmurphy1945]

sacrilege! you're only allowed listen to this track on the specified date, so a maximum of 22 times so far. same goes for xmas_evet10

[@zeriumpro]

Very insightful analysis, thank you for sharing!

[@GrandRoyal44]

This song was used perfectly in Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette film

[@stu9000]

Thanks for the analysis! Aphex Twin is the GOAT.

[@effievision]

This is so lovely

[@stowjer]

Really enjoyed that. I'm fascinated by this song so good to get into it

[@nunyabidnis3815]

7:53 "This is really pretty." When these chords came up, I was reminded of very similar parts from two Tom Waits songs "I'm Still Here," (1min7 & 1min20), or the intro to "World Keeps Turning." Both songs tend to make my eyes a little dewy, as those chord changes are all really pretty.

[@chilldude30]

I've played guitar for fifteen years so I understand all the theory but I'm getting my first piano tomorrow. This is the first thing I want to learn. Thanks for this video.

[@cassildaandcarcosa294]

I'm glad you are doing this :)

[@nathanbryers]

Wow first time I’ve seen your channel; love this! Thankyou

[@tonnib]

This story about Disklavier and MIDi controler is amazing.

[@jotalhoverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr]

ixi thank you so much for making a video about avril 14th, your analysis bring so much information to this unique song, that makes it even more unique

[@jotalhoverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr]

I also recommend seeing aisatsana too

[@inkraktare]

Thanks for this Ixi. Woke up feeling blue this morning and seeing you enthuse about this improved things 🙂 I love how Aphex Twin, much like Trent, offsets his energetic aggressive stuff with moments of tender beauty like this. I need to look into that other composer you mention. Thanks x

[@manlypedro75]

Boy/Girl song. Richard has favorite progressions." I'm Self Employed" and "Pancake Lizard" also have similar harmonies and well melodies... thanks for the upload!

[@manonthedollar]

Thanks so much for such a great video! I transcribed this song when it first came out -- not something I normally do -- and your video recreated all the good "chills" I got back then as the song sort of "revealed" itself to me as I pulled it apart.

[@DriftMusiK]

Killed it... thanks for bringing back my youth with Aphex Twin. I never before recognized the inverted Fm in this song. When I began playing keys when I was a kid, that's how I learned to play F/Fm, with the lowest register being the third. I wonder if they had something similar. As always, beautifully done, by my favorite beautiful maestro. Have a dazzling egg day.

[@AncientDirtbag]

Wow, I've heard this song a million times and it's one of my favourites EVER. But you still managed to help me hear it in new ways. Well done that was really great. You have an excellent ability to understand and explain emotion in music.

[@ZackWilliams_TheProducer]

Such a deep feeling a calm I associate with this song. Great analysis, thank you!

[@FoulOleRonThe3rd]

Brilliant breakdown! I'm really looking forward to learning this. I did have the exact same experience of "mishearing" the melody that you talk about around the 7:00 mark. In fact, the first time you played that section (before mentioning it), I thought "pfff, she's got that wrong!". But, once you play it all together, it's clear you do have it right. Interesting how what you perceive as the "lead melody" can be fooled by the two lines playing together. I've found a similar thing can happen when trying to dissect vocal harmonies, if the different voices are singing pitches quite close to each other. Fairly often you find that no one singer is singing the entirety of the "lead melody" that you perceive

[@4311Angel]

Wow, you hit us with this! NIN & AFX two of my top favs!

[@SeventySevenScars]

I'm Australian so this compliment makes no sense, but you're a national treasure, love all the flavor and personality you put into this... breakdown/tutorial/lesson

[@Satellite_Of_Love]

There's a lot more complexity to this song that I originally thought. I agree that it does bring Satie to mind. It's a wonderful blend of technical skill and emotion.

[@iximusic]

For what it's worth, I tend to go so far into the details of something that I make everything sound complicated even if it's not. haha. So I'd say it's a fairly simple piece all in all, but I noticed more harmonies and rhythmic moments that I hadn't before, and that adds more depth, dimension, and complexity in the experience of listening for me! Thank you for watching.

[@yangarza]

really enjoyed the video, thank you for your explanations!

[@Swindel67]

So happy the algorithm god's blessed me something good for once. Amazing really! Can't wait to deep dive on this channel.

[@rupertwilson4717]

This was really cool. I liked your analysis :)

[@rc723]

Oh this is so exciting! Please do more Aphex!

[@DustyCustard]

So glad you got to Aphex Twin. :)

[@bpsychoz]

Great song choice. Beautiful playing

[@gerardlee4319]

That was enjoyable, thanks for covering this.

[@vernov7495]

i might be the biggest Aphex Twin fan on the planet, i have 660 of his songs on my computer, i think there's about 2000 more i don't have. it's my life long journey to hear every track he's created. i like you

[@alemmingsdeath]

Do you have Expert Knob Twiddlers?

[@paulmurphy1945]

me: 661 😛

[@47ejecting2]

​@@alemmingsdeathMy friend and I used to get goofy to Expert Knob Twiddlers on the daily.

[@darkcnotion]

Muchas gracias ixi ❤

[@the_emmo]

Excellent work dissecting this wonderful piece. Richard D James (aka Aphex Twin) is a musical genius and this is one of many examples why. I love this video, thanks so much for making this!

[@TheInternetIsDeadToMe]

Really nice to watch this. I don’t play piano, but this peace of music has been with me since the day this album came out. Before actually as it was on a bonus CD in of of the music magazines here in the UK. I remember playing it all day when I first heard it. It’s amazing the life it’s taken on all these years later.

[@cristobalv]

what a beautiful song. Knowing Aphex music for more than a decade, i can tell this song its kinda unique in his catalog since early 90´s

[@LondraCalibro9]

superb, more aphex please!

[@AbhNormal]

How did I miss this amazing video?! Instantly liked and subbed! Also, I’m glad you kept the little hiccups in there, as I do that quite a lot and it makes the video seem much more organic and natural.

[@TheOrangePique]

hey just been suggested this after trying to learn it myself - thoroughly enjoyed hearing your own spin on things, how it made you feel at times and the syncopation, thank you!

[@commetking9746]

Luv your work lots more aphex twin reviews -pretty please 🤩

[@Dmyra]

one my favorite ever songs. someone should do a 20 minute version where each theme develops. so much territory there... massive

[@matthewdunn6903]

Thank you! So excited to see an Aphex Twin breakdown! I hope to see more of these dives into other contemporaries from the period. It has been my dream for awhile that you would review the album dubnobasswithmyheadman - my absolute favorite electronic album.

[@traitortotheliving]

Fascinating breakdown. Subscribed

[@franco912]

After getting hooked up by his album "drukqs" when it came out i listened to the most popular part of his discography (he's got multiple alter egos surely some that we don't know of knowing the facetious side of RDJ), I've never encountered someone that prolific using electronic devices with such creativity and diversity. From a simple to a complicated piece of music, all frequencies are explored. One of the few successful artist if not the only one in the electronic music business with such long career to have sold lots of albums with no advertisement.

[@blackstreek]

My loving wife walked down the aisle to this song. It will forever live in my heart as the pinnacle of beauty and happiness, of leaving one phase of life behind and entering the unknown together.

[@Bfredproduction]

Great Analysis !

[@pugsofsmallstreet5858]

Yaaaay! I was waiting for this

[@klawn69]

I love u Ixi!...greetings from Ecuador.

[@andersonbroberg3531]

Beautiful sustain.

[@hummingrhizomes]

Very glad to discover your channel. Subscribed:)

[@dyllnye]

I love you’re desticpstions of how the song makes you feel and how the feel of the song effected your interpretation of how it’s played. Always loved the dissidently sweet and almost somber melancholy feel of Avril 14th. I think an interpretation of his more ambient work from someone with a well train ear like yourself would be very interesting.

[@sadmancaves]

this video is so relaxing i fell asleep and had an afternoon nap while watching it

[@katfart939]

Nanou2 is my favorite Aphex Twin song. I used to just listen to it on repeat all day

[@analogueweb8694]

You should check out Nannou by Aphex Twin. It’s amazing.

[@TheVioletWolf]

Yes!!!!

[@Lumonious]

For years I always thought of the melody the way you did at first and it wasn’t until i learned the song on guitar and piano i learned it the right way and always thought the second to last note was lower not higher!

[@frankle326]

Great stuff…. always loved this song…. wonderful choice…

[@tim_brooks]

take a day and take a deep dive into all of his stuff. there is so much. and under different names: aphex twin, afx, polygon window, caustic window, gak, the tuss, powerpill, mike & rich………

[@iximusic]

caustic window. I'm loving these track titles!

[@tim_brooks]

@@iximusic those are the names he records under! 😃

[@robngy8204]

Very nicely done ❤

[@jaker721]

This song is so beautiful